30 Day Baseball Card Challenge

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Sports Card Trifecta #26: Ivan Rodriguez

2017 is the Year of the Sports Card Trifecta. Well... at least for me. A few weeks ago, I was sifting through saved scans and found quite a few autographs I've acquired of the past few years. Some of them I've already shared, while others have been buried in a folder. Then while searching for a 1991 Stadium Club Jeff Bagwellrookie card, I stumbled across a bunch of cheap80's and 90'srookie cards that I've neglected for years.That's when it hit me. It's time to do something with them. Individually, they're cool. However when you combine them together along with a memorabilia card, they become something cooler. They become a Sports Card Trifecta.Today's trifecta is of newly elected 1st ballot hall of famer... Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez:Autograph: 1998 Donruss Signature Millennium Marks #NNO

I love me some 90's Leaf and Donruss Signaturesautographs. They're on-card and since they produced a ton of this stuff... they're pretty affordable. I picked this card up for $11.34 off of COMCtwo years ago, which seems like a steal considering he's one of the greatest catchers I've had the privilege of watching play.Rookie Card: 1991 Topps Traded #101T

Being such an avid collector during the 90's, I was pretty disappointed and surprised to see that I only own two different Pudge rookie cards. This one.. and his 1991 Donruss The Rookiescard. Neither are anything special (in my humble opinion). However... I plan to upgrade this trifecta in the near future by acquiring his 1991 Score Rookie and Tradedrookie card. Stay tuned.Memorabilia Card: 2001 UD MVP Souvenir Gloves

Rounding out the trifecta is a card from one of my favorite memorabilia sets. If you're tired of the sameold white swatch of jersey, then I totally recommend one of these game-used batting glove cards. Back in the day, these were pretty tough pulls, but the good news is they're very affordable nowadays.Well there you have it. Let's wrap things up with three questions...

Who's the greatest defensive catcher you've had the pleasure of watching play?

Who's your favorite catcher of all-time?

If you were the general manager of a MLB team and could have any current catcher on your roster, who would you choose?

I never got to see Johnny Bench play (he retired when I was 3) so I'd say the best all-around catcher of my lifetime is Pudge (that Millennium Marks auto is very cool, btw.) There might be one or two better defensive catchers like a Molina brother, but he's probably the best.

My favorite catcher of all-time is probably Jason Varitek. Current catchers I like are Posey and Salvador Perez.

About Me

I've been collecting cardboard off and on since the early 80's. I'm presently collecting. But who knows what the future holds in store for me.
One thing is for certain... I'll have my blog to help relive some of my favorite hobby moments.